45C-18 |
Identification of volatile compounds and their smell characteristics of ginseng by using GC/SPME |
H. AN, Z. Xu, and J. M. King. Dept. of Food Science, Louisiana State Univ. Agricultural Center, 111 Food Science Bldg., Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4200 Ginseng is one of the most widely used medicinal herbs, and is known for many beneficial health effects such as antitumor, antioxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammary. It has been used as a functional compound in some foods. Many studies have detected ginsenosides, which are the active constituents of ginseng by using HPLC. However, the information on ginseng volatiles and their smell characters and chemical structures are limited. Our objective was to identify the volatile compounds, their smell characters, and chemical structures of ginseng. Two hundred mg of a ground ginseng were transferred into a 500ml flask, then the flask was incubated at a temperature of 80°C for 40 minutes. A polydimethysiloxane coated Micro Solid Phase Extraction (SPME) fiber was inserted at the headspace to extract volatiles. GC/ MS and GC-olfactory methods were used for identifying volatile compounds and describing smell characteristics. No significant peaks were found before the retention time of 15 minutes. It suggested that there were less low molecular weight volatiles in ginseng. However, strong ginseng, rancid oil, soil, roast peanut, and spoiled smells were detected at 16-19, 22-24, 25-26, 26-27, and 28-29 minute, respectively. Overall, most of the chemical structures were cyclic compounds, which can be found in ginseng sterols. These compounds may have resulted from the degradation of ginseng sterols, which are the most important compounds in the unsaponifiables of vegetable oils in plants. Ginseng consists of several major flavor compounds, some with negative aromas. This information is important for determining the effect ginseng may have on the flavor of a food when used as a functional food ingredient.
Session 45C, Food Chemistry: Flavor and aroma chemistry
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